The Devil's Pawn

Faust, Book 2

De: Oliver Pötzsch, Lisa Reinhardt - translator

Narrado por: Malcolm Hillgartner

A showman’s fate is in the hands of the devil in an enthralling novel inspired by the Faust legend from the bestselling author of the Hangman’s Daughter series.

Rome, 1518. The church is tarnished by greed. Peasants are rebelling. Tumultuous times demand drastic recourse - before the devil gets his due.

Johann Faust is a renowned magician, astrologer, and chiromancer traveling through Germany with his successful troupe: the orphaned juggler Greta and his loyal companion Karl. The avaricious Pope Leo X now requires Johann’s services to replenish the papacy’s drained coffers through alchemy. But the devil, with whom a regretful Johann once agreed to an unholy trade for fame, wants something else. Racked with paralyzing seizures, Johann fears that his debt is nearer to being settled.

In France, Johann hopes for answers from an eminent new friend who could hold the key to his torment, body, and soul. For the celebrated artist, inventor, and anatomist Leonard da Vinci is suffering from the same accursed malady. Time is not on his side either.

Now they all must outrun the devil, and the more human threats of the papal henchmen, before Johann is dragged straight to hell - along with everyone he holds dear.

©2019 Oliver Pötzsch. Translation © 2021 by Lisa Reinhardt. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

outstanding read

I was completely blown away once again with this two book adventure as I was with his other series of the hangman daughter.
the stories are so original and they suck you in immediately and they don't let go till the end.
I will be reading more of this author.

wonderful story

I absolutely love all of this author 's books. The time and subject are so interesting and he weaves the characters into a beautiful masterpiece.

Love these thrillers.

Oliver does a wonderful job of combining historical facts and his characters. You never know what is around the corner.

Just not for me

About halfway through, but enough is enough! Does not keep my attention while on the treadmill or other gym equipment, so I’m looking for something else.

Middle Age Mediocrity

The speech was inaccurate. For example, nobody in the middle ages said something "gave them the creeps". This book is riddled with poorly matched language to its time. Was it poor translation or just careless writing?. It distracted me. I did like the theme and for this reason soldiered on. I probably won't get another book by Potzsch translated by Lisa Reinhardt. Much better books of this genre include
The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks and the incomperable Hussite trilogy by Andrzej Sapkowski.